POINTS ON STRATEGIC DATA EXCHANGE (SDX)

S E C R E T STATE 013921 SIPDIS US MISSION CD GENEVA GENEVA FOR SFO DELEGATION MOSCOW FOR POL/MIL E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/17/2020 TAGS: KACT KTIA PARM START US RS SUBJECT: POINTS ON STRATEGIC DATA EXCHANGE (SDX) REF: A. STATE 94-266692 ¶B. STATE 009089 ¶C. MOSCOW 000218 ¶D. GENEVA 000059 (SFO-GVA-VIII-026)(NODIS) Classified By: KARIN L. LOOK, ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARY, DEPARTMENT OF STATE, VCI; REASON: 1.4(B),(D) ¶1. (U) Background: On September 28, 1994, Presidents Clinton and Yeltsin signed the Joint Statement on Strategic Stability and Nuclear Security by the Presidents of the United States and the Russian Federation (Ref A). In the Joint Statement, it was agreed that the U.S. Department of Defense and Russian Ministry of Defense &would exchange information every three months on strategic systems that have been deactivated and eliminated.8 This has been implemented through quarterly strategic data exchange (SDX) notifications, which account for strategic systems which have been deactivated and eliminated within the previous quarterly period. The sides subsequently agreed on the categories of data to be exchanged and that the exchange would take place through the Nuclear Risk Reduction Centers (NRRCs) beginning in January 1995. ¶2. (SBU) The latest U.S. SDX notification was transmitted to the Russian Federation on January 14, 2010. However, the Russian Federation has not sent an SDX notification to the U.S. NRRC since October 14, 2009. The United States provided a notification to the Russian Federation on January 28, 2010, requesting clarification with respect to the lack of an SDX notification from the Russian Federation in January (Ref B). Embassy Moscow also delivered the notification to the Russian MFA on January 29, 2010 (Ref C). ¶3. (S) On February 9, 2010, the U.S. Delegation to the START Follow-on negotiations in Geneva provided to the Russian Delegation (Ref D) a non-paper (paragraph 5 below) containing points regarding the U.S.-Russian Federation Strategic Data Exchange, and requesting clarification whether it was the intention of the Russian Federation to continue the SDX information exchange. ¶4. (S) Action Requested: Embassy is requested to provide to the appropriate MFA officials the U.S. non-paper in paragraph 5 below, noting that it was also provided to the Russian Delegation in Geneva, with a request for clarification, and noting that the copy is being provided to the MFA as a courtesy. ¶5. (S) Points on the U.S.-Russian Federation Strategic Data Exchange. Begin Text Points on the U.S.-Russian Federation Strategic Data Exchange -- On September 28, 1994, Presidents Clinton and Yeltsin signed a Joint Statement on Strategic Stability and Nuclear Security. -- In the Joint Statement, the Presidents agreed that the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and the Russian Ministry of Defense (MOD) &would exchange information every three months on strategic systems that have been deactivated and eliminated.8 -- Since 1994, the U.S. and Russia have continued to exchange this information. The two States reached a further understanding on the specific categories of data to be exchanged quarterly, during meetings of the DoD-MOD Strategic Stability Working Group. -- The Presidents signed the Joint Statement in 1994 with the expectation that START would soon enter into force. However, the provisions of the Joint Statement, as well as the information exchange contemplated, are independent of those undertaken in START and were in no way linked to the duration of START. -- The United States provided its quarterly data to the Russian Federation in January, 2010, under the Joint Statement, as it has done for the last fifteen years. -- In the view of the United States, the quarterly strategic data exchange provides useful information regarding the reductions of each side,s strategic offensive arms and is indicative of a mutual commitment to transparency and openness we wish to continue. -- Continued cooperation between the United States and the Russian Federation, in the spirit of START, as agreed by our Presidents in their Joint Statement of December 4, 2009, demonstrates a base of trust and goodwill and provides evidence that our countries, relationship has changed for the better. This will be important to both our countries as we move forward on this new Treaty and especially during the ratification process. -- The U.S. is interested in clarifying whether it is the intention of the Russian Federation to continue this information exchange. End text. CLINTON